Salt Lake Comic Con Cosplay Policy and Rules

These are the Cosplay Rules for Salt Lake Comic Con and FanXperience. Thank you for your continued support and contribution to making this the best show ever.

Event Floor Cosplay Rules

Salt Lake Comic Con is a family-friendly convention. Please use common sense, be considerate of other attendees and be aware of your surroundings.

Cover your body parts. “No costume” is not a costume. “Paint” is not a costume, either. No intentional or unintentional “wardrobe malfunctions” allowed. Please make sure your costume is sturdily constructed; this includes proper undergarments. If your costume is deemed to be too revealing or offensive, you will be asked to cover up or change.

Protective footwear is highly recommended, but not required.

All military, law enforcement and other emergency service costumes should be easily distinguishable from official uniforms.

Hate symbols, even historical hate symbols like swastikas, will not be tolerated at Salt Lake Comic Con.

Roller blades, roller skates and skateboards will not be allowed in the convention center.

Stilts are allowed, as long as you are wearing them.

Please, no signs offering services or making requests to be hugged or touched. We want everyone to feel comfortable.

Service Animals are allowed, assuming they are wearing the proper identification and you pick up after them.

There will be a cosplay “first aid” location on-site. Please do not bring items such as hot glue guns, scissors, needle and thread, etc., as any costuming issues will be able to be resolved by professionals.

Weapons Policy

No functional weapons are allowed at Salt Lake Comic Con. Simulated or costume weapons are allowed as a part of your costume, subject to prior approval by security and compliance with the following guidelines:

ALL costume weapons must be inspected at the Weapons Check area. Security will thoroughly inspect and mark weapons of any kind to ensure that they are safe and inoperable.

All costume weapons must conform to state and federal law.

All weapons must be easily distinguishable from real weapons and must be constructed from safe, lightweight material. Approved materials are: rubber, plastic (PVC, worbla, etc.), foam, cardboard and papier-mâché.

After each weapon has been checked, it will be tagged by security. Security will escort you to the Weapons Check area for inspection if weapons or props have not been properly tagged. Once your weapon(s) have been inspected, do not remove the tag for any reason.

Costume props that do not pass security inspection may be temporarily dropped off with our weapons valet program. Our volunteer staff will store the weapon in question and provide the attendee with a ticket for retrieval of the weapon upon exiting the convention center.

All prop firearms must be incapable of firing projectiles and have an orange cap on the barrel. Projectiles or any type of ammunition are forbidden. BB guns, paintball guns, dart guns, blow guns and water guns and their accompanying ammunition will NOT be permitted.

Nerf guns are allowed, but ammunition of any kind (foam or otherwise) is prohibited. Nerf guns must pass weapons check and will have triggers zip-tied to prevent guns from firing.

Plastic air-soft guns are permitted with several requirements: No ammunition or projectiles of any kind will be allowed. Air-soft guns must be rendered completely inoperable beforehand, that is the gun shall not have any batteries installed, nor gas/propellant in the chamber and the chamber must be filled with wax or similar material. All air-soft guns must have a clearly visible orange tip on the barrel. All air-soft guns will be marked by security at weapons check and have their triggers zip-tied to ensure that the gun is incapable of firing.

Metal weapons of any kind are forbidden, including hammers, scissors (including “safety scissors”), screwdrivers, saws, chains, nun-chucks, brass knuckles, shields, X-Men-style claws, handcuffs and the like. No “live steel” is allowed, such as metal swords, knifes or blades of any kind. If you have any of these types of weapons with your costume, please make sure they are made out of approved materials.

Small, lightweight, metal objects like Sonic Screwdrivers, Lightsaber handles and umbrellas and wooden wands a la “Harry Potter” are allowed, but must not be used as functional weapons. These items will all be subject to weapons check.

Costume bows are allowed, insomuch as they are so loosely strung that they cannot shoot projectiles of any kind. Prop arrows are permitted, as long as they are not sharply tipped, cannot be fired, are made of approved materials and cannot conceivably hurt anyone.

Costume swords/daggers made from approved materials are allowed, but may not have any sharp edges. Wooden swords are allowed, but must be tied to your costume in such a way that they cannot be drawn or unsheathed. Security will zip-tie swords to their sheaths to ensure that they cannot be drawn. If you wish to draw your sword to pose for a picture, it must be made of approved materials. Metal blades are not allowed, whether they are sheathed or not.

No wooden or aluminum/metal bats are permitted. This includes baseball bats, cricket bats, clubs, paddles, golf clubs and similar objects. Bats made from approved materials are allowed.

Staffs (staves), similar to those found in “Lord of the Rings,” for instance, will be allowed, insomuch as they are used for walking and/or decoration, and not as a weapon. Wooden staffs are allowed, but must be lightweight and may not have any sharpened edges or tips. All staffs must be inspected by security. Beards are highly recommended for those carrying staffs.

Items such as bullwhips, ropes and lassos are allowed, but must remain rolled and secured at all times. These items will be subject to a weapons check.

Incendiary or flammable weapons are prohibited, including any items that are capable of igniting sparks or flames, burning, exploding or combusting.

Do not display your weapons or props in a threatening or menacing manner. (For instance, it’s ok to pose for a picture, but cosplayers should not brandish weapons while walking the event floor.)

Keep prop weapons in convention areas. If you leave the premises or go out into public for any reason, please put away any and all prop weaponry immediately.

Any real weapons purchased or won at Salt Lake Comic Con that would normally be prohibited by the weapons policy, such as pocket knives, swords, etc., must remain in their original packaging and/or checked in with our weapons valet station as soon as possible.

All prop/costume weapons purchased at the convention must be approved by Salt Lake Comic Con security if they are to be carried during the convention. These items must also adhere to the weapons policy.

Bags and backpacks are allowed, but are subject to a bag check at the discretion of Salt Lake Comic Con staff and security.

If you do not want to have your costume weapons inspected and tagged or if you are unwilling to comply with these policies, please leave them at home. Failure to willingly comply with Salt Lake Comic Con’s official cosplay rules and weapons policy may result in ejection from the convention (without a refund) and/or potential legal action, if necessary. ***All rules and regulations are subject to change. ***

Salt Lake Comic Con reserves the right to inspect all costumes and weapons on an individual basis in order to ensure that the event remains completely safe and family-friendly. Those who violate these rules assume all responsibility in the event of injury.